DOLORES, Colo.- Three artists will join scientists in Southwest Colorado wilderness areas in a partnership among Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, the Colorado Art Ranch and the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute. The artists will introduce themselves to interested locals in a “Meet and Greet” at1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8at the Anasazi Heritage Center.

The project, entitled “Aldo & Leonardo,” is inspired by the vision of Leonardo da Vinci and the wisdom of wilderness advocate Aldo Leopold. Artists will collaborate with scientists to illustrate the value of wild areas and honor scientific efforts to preserve wilderness. The project will celebrate the lands, resources and opportunities protected by the Wilderness Act, which will mark its 50th anniversary next year.

“Artists and scientists both have a strong sense of curiosity and discovery. They are willing to follow tangents and tolerate creative trial-and-error. Good collaboration is about mutual respect and appreciation for another point of view. A sense of humor is helpful, too,” said Grant Pound, Colorado Art Ranch Director.

The public is invited to meet the following artists:

Esther Rogers is a cellist, collaborator, composer and teacher who graduated with honors from the University of Hartford where she worked with dancers, actors and writers on a journey of exploration in integrated arts. She studied chamber music in San Francisco and London, teaches cello and improvisation and recently directed a performance at the Rochester Fringe Festival.

Ben McCarthy, a ceramicist, received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Art Institute of Chicago, focusing on ceramic sculpture, as well as ecology and ancient culture.

Leslie Sobel is a full-time painter who received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Michigan. She is a member of the Michigan Arts Alliance board and co-founded the “Art Alchemists,” which is an artists’ collective using digital tools to make art.

"Art and science both attempt to understand the world around us and what it is to be human. If you attempt to marry art with science, you fail. But if you allow what is not similar to co-exist and thrive, then real collaboration can emerge,” said Keith Tyson, a past participant.

For more information, contact the Anasazi Heritage Center at 970-882-5600 or go towww.co.blm.gov/ahc.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2013, the BLM generated $4.7 billion in receipts from public lands.